I grew up in a Chicago suburb. One summer, my parents decided I should take the train to Richmond, Virginia to visit my grandparents who lived about 25 miles away in Chester.
I boarded the train in Chicago and changed trains in Cincinnati. In the early morning, I got up and left my seat. In
I write often about career success and life fulfillment. Why? I coached over 1500 lawyers in the United States and Canada. I learned a great deal by listening to those lawyers. I learn now when candidates contact me wanting to join a new law firm.
When I first started coaching lawyers in 2005, I coached
Several years ago, I presented a program Success: Determining and Achieving Your Purpose, Values and Goals for the ABA YLD fall meeting.
Before I finished I asked for questions. One lawyer asked:
Cordell, in your experience, what separates the superstar young lawyers from the rest of the pack?
I did not hesitate:
The very best
As you may remember when I was bored visiting my grandparents, I found Napoleon Hill’s book Think and Grow Rich on my grandfather’s bookshelf, dusted it off and read it.
It gave me a roadmap on how I could become successful. More importantly, the book helped me understand that becoming successful in my life would
Recently I was asked:
How long did it take before you had any results from your client development efforts?
I responded that it was at least two years and maybe more. I was then asked how I stuck with it when I was seeing no results. I responded that I guessed I wanted to develop
Are you staying inside your comfort zone? I hope not. I recently read a Seth Godin quote:
Discomfort brings engagement and change. Discomfort means you’re doing something that others were unlikely to do, because they’re hiding out in the comfortable zone. When your uncomfortable actions lead to success, the organization rewards you and brings you
I know many lawyers whose dreams are not big enough. They underestimate what they can do. They underestimate the quality of the clients they can attract. How big are your dreams?
Two lawyers I coached, who did not know each other, both shared with me that the most important thing they took away from the
I know two lawyers I will call Ryan and Sam (not real names). They are both junior partners in firms that are about the same size. They both bill about the same number of hours annually.
Ryan is thoroughly enjoying a successful career and fulfilling personal life. Sam says he is burning out and feels